Parking spaces stretch to fit fat rides

[virividox]

its not so much big cars that bother me, its people should LEARN HOW TO PARK PROPERLY!!! if they maximized the available space then everyone could find a parking slot, i hate ppl who park to close to the line they make it impossible for the adjacent slot to be used!!! gah i guess its a good thing i dont have my car with me in uni or else id go nuts trying to find parking!!!

 

[takao]

i didn't knew that there were seperate "compact car" parking spaces in the US...

how big are american parking spaces on average ? are there any numbers ?

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

i didn't knew that there were seperate "compact car" parking spaces in the US...

To be fair, the "compact" spaces I have seen are shorter than normal. Though they could be a few inches narrower too.

how big are american parking spaces on average ? are there any numbers ?

I can say that in my TH community we have what I think are the "old sized" spots of 103" (measured from the center of the white line to the other center of the white line.)

 

[Mr_Ed]

i didn't knew that there were seperate "compact car" parking spaces in the US...

how big are american parking spaces on average ? are there any numbers ?

I spoke to a friend of mine who is a civil engineer just last night. Had to talk about something while downing that pint

He told me that at least in the state of Florida, the county usually sets the requirements for parking space dimensions. In Orange county (Orlando) the minimum is 9 ft. width and they specify the area of the space (don't recall the number he told me), so you can play with the length and width as long as the minimum width is met.

He told me Seminole county (where I live) requires a minimum of 10 ft width. I told him about some of the "Compact parking" spaces in some shopping plazas and he told me Seminole county had increased their width requirements but apparently existing parking areas are not necessarily compelled to change immediately (if at all, not sure). But the regulations would apply to any new parking areas. So, maybe some of those "compact parking" areas I have run into in some shopping areas may be the last of their kind in Seminole county (woohoo!!).

[Edit: Sorry, I didn't really answer your question about the "average" american parking space. Don't really have any figures on that. These numbers are from the area where I live.]

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I spoke to a friend of mine who is a civil engineer just last night. Had to talk about something while downing that pint

He told me that at least in the state of Florida, the county usually sets the requirements for parking space dimensions. In Orange county (Orlando) the minimum is 9 ft. width and they specify the area of the space (don't recall the number he told me), so you can play with the length and width as long as the minimum width is met.

He told me Seminole county (where I live) requires a minimum of 10 ft width. I told him about some of the "Compact parking" spaces in some shopping plazas and he told me Seminole county had increased their width requirements but apparently existing parking areas are not necessarily compelled to change immediately (if at all, not sure). But the regulations would apply to any new parking areas. So, maybe some of those "compact parking" areas I have run into in some shopping areas may be the last of their kind in Seminole county (woohoo!!).

[Edit: Sorry, I didn't really answer your question about the "average" american parking space. Don't really have any figures on that. These numbers are from the area where I live.]

Man, based on my view of the parking spaces in my community; yours are "huge" by comparison. Makes one wonder about the size of the vehicles down there. For at 120" that leaves 42" if two Expeditions were to properly park side by side. More than enough room for even the largest of vehicles IMO. Even with 9' between that leave 32" . Even more in both cases if smaller cars are taken in to account.

Based on some of your comments, just how much space is needed by you all down there?

 

[takao]

i googled a around a bit and only found regulations towards size of parking spaces in austria/germany

the only 'required' one was concerning parkign spaces for handicaped drives (wheelchairs etc.)
minimum width: 3,5 / 3,3 meters (austria/germany) thats makes 11,48' / 10,83' in imperial

ecept that i only found recommendations which spoke about 2,25m - 2,50m (7,38' to 8,2')
on your private property or company ground size can be used as needed or demanded by customers/amount of traffic etc.

edit: jsut found out that 2,3m is mimumum requirement for garages etc.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Man, based on my view of the parking spaces in my community; yours are "huge" by comparison. Makes one wonder about the size of the vehicles down there. For at 120" that leaves 42" if two Expeditions were to properly park side by side. More than enough room for even the largest of vehicles IMO. Even with 9' between that leave 32" . Even more in both cases if smaller cars are taken in to account.

Based on some of your comments, just how much space is needed by you all down there?

Yeah, it leaves 42" if both vehicles are parked in the middle of a space. The parking spaces have to account for the fact that not everyone is as good at parking between the lines. In "a perfect world" where everyone parks exactly between the lines every time, a smaller space would indeed suffice.

I would also point out that while 42" sounds like a lot, that depends on the type of vehicle as much as it does the actual width of the vehicle. Example:
My car has a max width of 72". It's a coupe and the length of the door is about 56" (by my tape measure in the garage a few minutes ago ). The door is not attached at the point of maximum width so I estimate we can use a width figure of 68" for this example. When opened, the door extends about 40" (again by my rough measure) from the door sill. This means my car needs about 148" to have both doors fully open. Suddenly, this 120" 'Jumbo' parking spot doesn't seem so huge and I'm just driving a coupe, not an SUV.

For us guys, we may not need the door fully open to get in and out but surely we would still prefer a fully open door. But when I'm out and about with a lady friend who might be wearing a dress or a skirt, I MUST be able to open her door fully if she is going to have any chance to get in and out with any kind of grace and modesty.

 

[takao]

For us guys, we may not need the door fully open to get in and out but surely we would still prefer a fully open door. But when I'm out and about with a lady friend who might be wearing a dress or a skirt, I MUST be able to open her door fully if she is going to have any chance to get in and out with any kind of grace and modesty.

or of course you do it like the people else where and let everybody out before you drive into the parking space


edit: or buy the small peugeot 1007 which has doors like those vans have i nthe back ...

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Yeah, it leaves 42" if both vehicles are parked in the middle of a space. The parking spaces have to account for the fact that not everyone is as good at parking between the lines. In "a perfect world" where everyone parks exactly between the lines every time, a smaller space would indeed suffice.

I would also point out that while 42" sounds like a lot, that depends on the type of vehicle as much as it does the actual width of the vehicle. Example:
My car has a max width of 72". It's a coupe and the length of the door is about 56" (by my tape measure in the garage a few minutes ago ). The door is not attached at the point of maximum width so I estimate we can use a width figure of 68" for this example. When opened, the door extends about 40" (again by my rough measure) from the door sill. This means my car needs about 148" to have both doors fully open. Suddenly, this 120" 'Jumbo' parking spot doesn't seem so huge and I'm just driving a coupe, not an SUV.

For us guys, we may not need the door fully open to get in and out but surely we would still prefer a fully open door. But when I'm out and about with a lady friend who might be wearing a dress or a skirt, I MUST be able to open her door fully if she is going to have any chance to get in and out with any kind of grace and modesty.

Now this is getting to be fun.

My Baja is juts over 70". And the door width is just 43" (same here by your challenge). I figure that I need just 24" or 28" in order to get in to my car in a parking space. Keep in mind I am also a 250-300 pound male. I would ask you to take the tape measure and see just how much space that you really need to comfortably enter and exit your vehicle.

Keep in mind my car before this was a Honda Civic Coupe with larger doors. I never had a problem in my parking lot. And that is with many of my fellow residents having the "larger" SUVs that I have commented on. In regards to the "lady", I think that time has shown that they have been able to adjust.

To be honest in my case there was no way to exit gracefully from a Civic "t-top". The issue then becomes how do we address the needs of a few for the needs of the many?

For in most minds the car you are driving fits the new reality of the "compact" car. So there is little reason for you to "complain" about "shrinking" car spaces. It seems to me that you fit into a "responsible" category.

To be honest based on the numbers you and I have posted, I have a greater issue with vehicles greater than 72". Now we could argue to till the cows come home about whether SUVs or or Minivans "block" the view of other drivers. But that was not the point of the original thread. I had a Toyota Camery Coupe that was a challenge at time depending on the the lot I was in. Never did I think they should change the size of the space however. For if the spaces were "too" small, I parked where I thought I could be better off. Hell, what a concept. But it doesn't fly with my view that "I got mine, to hell with others".

[sarcasm] Hope you can find a place to park your "boat".[/
sarcasm]

 

[Mr_Ed]

or of course you do it like the people else where and let everybody out before you drive into the parking space


edit: or buy the small peugeot 1007 which has doors like those vans have i nthe back ...

With all due respect, I was raised to always assist a lady in and out of buildings, vehicles, etc. I've always done so and considering my age, that behavior is not likely to change. Oh, and I'm not trading my Porsche in for a Peugeot any time soon. Ok, so they both begin with the letter 'P', but honestly!!

Now this is getting to be fun.

My Baja is juts over 70". And the door width is just 43" (same here by your challenge). I figure that I need just 24" or 28" in order to get in to my car in a parking space. Keep in mind I am also a 250-300 pound male. I would ask you to take the tape measure and see just how much space that you really need to comfortably enter and exit your vehicle.

I conceded in my last paragraph that I don't need the door fully open for myself but I'll say that the degree to which I require the door open seems to be relative to how low the seats are. With that in mind, I actually find it easier to get into a good size SUV with the door barely open than I do in my own car. Different vehicles will have different requirements for safe entry/exit.
Interestingly, the doors in my Porsche C4S have an extra "detent" position as you swing open before you reach full open position. I can get in and out with the door in that position. By the way, I'm in the same "weight class" as you That position seems to put the door about 28" from the sill. That's pretty good when you are talking about a 56" long door with considerable heft/thickness to the door itself, but it still means 124" to open both doors without taking into account the female passenger situation I wrote about. And that was my point: It's not as if a 10' parking spot gives you lots of clearance in real world (with imperfect parking habits) situations, let alone the smaller ones.

Keep in mind my car before this was a Honda Civic Coupe with larger doors. I never had a problem in my parking lot. And that is with many of my fellow residents having the "larger" SUVs that I have commented on. In regards to the "lady", I think that time has shown that they have been able to adjust.

That "adjustment" you are referring to is that women are buying SUVs in droves They still like to wear skirts or dresses and most don't want to put on a "show" for strangers in a parking lot when they get in and out of a car.

To be honest in my case there was no way to exit gracefully from a Civic "t-top". The issue then becomes how do we address the needs of a few for the needs of the many?

The question isn't just whether we should make more "small" spaces or "fewer" large spaces. Based on just that, the answer is pretty straightforward. The limiting factor has to be the size and entry/exit requirements for cars actually on the road. Somewhere along the line someone decided that parking space dimensions should be decreased based on some fleet average showing a decrease due to more small cars being sold. But by definition, an average implies a significant portion of the sample is above and a significant portion is below. This is why I've said shrinking dimensions in the first place was ill advised.

For in most minds the car you are driving fits the new reality of the "compact" car. So there is little reason for you to "complain" about "shrinking" car spaces. It seems to me that you fit into a "responsible" category.

Well, I don't want them any smaller and I would like them to do away with areas labeled as "Compact parking only". Is that a complaint?

To be honest based on the numbers you and I have posted, I have a greater issue with vehicles greater than 72". Now we could argue to till the cows come home about whether SUVs or or Minivans "block" the view of other drivers. But that was not the point of the original thread. I had a Toyota Camery Coupe that was a challenge at time depending on the the lot I was in. Never did I think they should change the size of the space however. For if the spaces were "too" small, I parked where I thought I could be better off. Hell, what a concept. But it doesn't fly with my view that "I got mine, to hell with others".

I'm like you when it comes to crowded areas. I tend to head for the "ass" end of the parking lot when I can but that is not always a solution. I don't mind the extra walk as long as the weather is good. Again, in a "perfect world," everyone parks exactly in the middle of a space, and the weather is always nice

[sarcasm] Hope you can find a place to park your "boat".[/
sarcasm]

Well, I can always find a friend with a Hummer and have him "clear the way" for me

 

[takao]

With all due respect, I was raised to always assist a lady in and out of buildings, vehicles, etc. I've always done so and considering my age, that behavior is not likely to change.

you always do that in the parking lot ? why not stop before driving in the parkin space..let them out and then drive it finally into the space
that way you even have more space for running around your car for opening the door
(and it would take you less time with a peugeot because it's smaller than your porsche )
i normally do it that way ... (but i think in the year 2005 opening the door on their own is fine)

Interestingly, the doors in my Porsche C4S have an extra "detent" position as you swing open before you reach full open position.

i have met no car without that yet..even our old citroen BX had that (not sure about the mazda in the 80ties)

They still like to wear skirts or dresses and most don't want to put on a "show" for strangers in a parking lot when they get in and out of a car.

depends ..those who are used wearing skirts and dresses have less problems (perhaps depends on length of skirt... ) anyway...
but as far as i have seen climbing out of higher/big car (renault espace here) isn't very easy either (the skirt sometimes don't want to leave the seat behind) while with the other (mercedes c from my father) it's no problem at all
so exactly the reverse
(but most girls i know/knew don't/didn't wear skirts except on rare special occasions

 

[Mr_Ed]

you always do that in the parking lot ? why not stop before driving in the parkin space..let them out and then drive it finally into the space
that way you even have more space for running around your car for opening the door
(and it would take you less time with a peugeot because it's smaller than your porsche )
i normally do it that way ... (but i think in the year 2005 opening the door on their own is fine)

I actually do what you suggest sometimes. Other times I hesitate to do it if there is a long line of cars waiting behind (Yes, I do think of others once in a while ). Kind of depends on the situation. I also sometimes valet the vehicle when that is available.

i have met no car without that yet..even our old citroen BX had that (not sure about the mazda in the 80ties)

I'm sure you are right. I probably never took notice of it before this thread came along . . .

depends ..those who are used wearing skirts and dresses have less problems (perhaps depends on length of skirt... ) anyway...
but as far as i have seen climbing out of higher/big car (renault espace here) isn't very easy either (the skirt sometimes don't want to leave the seat behind) while with the other (mercedes c from my father) it's no problem at all
so exactly the reverse
(but most girls i know/knew don't/didn't wear skirts except on rare special occasions

Yeah, shorter skirts/dresses are more of a problem if she's not the 'all-out exhibitionist' type And in that regard (short ones) they have a much easier time in a taller vehicle like a mid to full sized car or even small to mid sized SUV, as long as it's not too tall of course (I'm not talking American style "Monster Truck" here ). Long skirts/dresses do cause other problems in pretty much any vehicle, as you said. Many of my lady friends like wearing skirts on a fairly regular basis to go out on the town and they are usually short so that was my primary concern. I guess I could ask them to wear a longer skirt/dress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yeah. Right.

 

[EJBasile]

Small Car Drivers- think of it this way- you now have more room to get out of your car.